Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an occupant protection device.
Related Art
Airbag devices are known in which gas from an inflator is supplied through a gas supply pipe fixed to a seatback to a bag attached to the gas supply pipe, and the bag is inflated so as to cover an occupant from the front and the side (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2000-344044). Airbag devices are also known in which head airbags protrude out from left and right end portions of a seat headrest toward the front, and join up in front of the head of an occupant, and an auxiliary head airbag protrudes out from a central portion of the headrest and joins up with the pair of head airbags (see JP-A No. 2013-018378).
In the configuration of JP-A No. 2000-344044, the gas supply pipe extends out further to a vehicle upper side than a headrest, resulting in a narrow gap to a ceiling section of the vehicle, thus limiting the height of the vehicle seat. In the configuration of JP-A No. 2103-018378, it is difficult to secure the joint strength of the pair of head airbags that join up after inflating and deploying, and the joint strength of the auxiliary head airbag to the pair of head airbags.
As a countermeasure, a configuration may be considered in which an airbag housed in the headrest of a vehicle seat is inflated and deployed so as to cover the head of the occupant from the seat forward direction and from both left and right sides. However, since it is necessary to inflate and deploy the airbag so as to pass above the head of the occupant, if a gap between the headrest and the ceiling section is narrow, the airbag might strongly impinge on the ceiling section, affecting the deployment performance of the airbag.